LSU expected to impose its superior size and athleticism against a smaller mid-major team.
Despite a sluggish opening, coach Will Wade eventually saw his team do just that on its way to a 92-51 win over Texas Southern on Friday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
LSU (2-0) trailed 10-7 with 15:07 remaining. The team looked lethargic as it struggled to corral loose balls and gave up multiple second-chance opportunities to Texas Southern (0-2).
LSU also was on the wrong end of some tough shot-making. Karris Bilal, a UL transfer, was the primary option early, making a pair of contested jumpers for his team’s first four points.
LSU’s worst moment came when starting center Brice Dessert fouled 6-foot-8 forward Ahmed Nedal Abdelrahman on a made 3-pointer right before the media timeout.
LSU substituted in Michael Ruzic, Abdi Bashir and Divine Ugochukwu for Donovan Dent, Dessert and Mo Dioubate.
The new lineup instituted a full-court press and injected life as LSU rolled to a 13-0 run.
The speed Wade expects players to play with was especially exemplified by Ugochukwu. The 6-3 junior crashed the glass and was rewarded in transition, throwing down a tomahawk dunk to give the Tigers a 15-11 lead with 13:19 remaining.
Dent helped stabilize LSU during its run by controlling the pace masterfully. When Texas Southern showed double teams during pick-and-rolls, Dent wiggled free and made the right pass to the open man for four first-half assists as his team led 47-28 at halftime.
On one occasion, Dent drove down the middle of the court, drew a second defender and tossed an alley-oop to Saliou Niang, who cut down the right baseline for a dunk. Dent ended with 10 points and 10 assists
Dent was not just LSU’s lead playmaker but also a disruptive defender. His on-ball pressure and instincts in the passing lanes allowed him to finish with four blocks and three steals.
The Tigers struggled outside the paint, especially from beyond the arc. They were 1 of 7 from the 3-point line after 20 minutes, with the lone make coming from Dioubate off a cross-court pass from Dent. LSU ended 5 of 22 from deep
To make up for the poor outside shooting, the Tigers found scoring from defensive ace Saliou Niang. He smartly moved without the ball and attacked the hoop when presented an open lane. That allowed the 6-8 Niang to draw fouls, and he made 7 of 8 free throws for 15 points. He came off a stellar season debut in which he had 14 points, 14 rebounds, six steals, five assists and one turnover.
Ruzic had another noteworthy performance off the bench. The 7-footer crashed the glass, ran the floor hard and consistently carved out room for paint scores. He had 12 points and 11 rebounds.
While the Tigers looked sluggish early and shot poorly from deep, their talent overwhelmed Texas Southern in the end.
LSU’s next game is against Louisiana Tech at 7 p.m. Monday at the PMAC.
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